Joy Theater developor Neal Hixon talks about the new venue

Neal Hixon, a real-estate developer behind several high-end retail projects, talk about the reopening of the Joy Theater. Hixon is part of the company New Orleans Theater District LLC.

RUSTY COSTANZA / THE TIMES-PICAYUNERUSTY COSTANZA / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE
Anson Rigaud of Brightway Signs heads towards the 'J' on the marque to check on a neon tube at the Joy Theater in New Orleans on Dec.15, 2011. The theater will reopen on Dec. 29 as a new venue for music, theater and other live performances.

Why you’ve heard of him: The music fan formed the company in order to buy the Joy Theater on Canal Street, which, after extensive renovation, will soon reopen its doors as a multi-purpose entertainment venue. Its calendar for 2011 and 2012 includes the Soul Rebels Brass Band, Kermit Ruffins, Cowboy Mouth and Percy Sledge.

What he's up to: Hixon and partners have restored the balcony to its original size, placed digital monitors throughout the space, installed a state-of-the-art sound system and added plenty of comfy seating.

Where to see him: He’ll be at the grand opening of the new Joy, 1200 Canal St., but attendees are more likely to be focused on headliner Irma Thomas, who performs Thursday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $40.

Q: As a music lover, was the Joy — now a music venue — a more special project for you than some of your other sites?

A: Oh, my gosh, yeah. It’s difficult to put into words. It’s almost like this whole thing kept calling me. And we built this around the opportunity for the performer to give the best performance they could possibly give — it was built from the performer’s standpoint.

Q: What did you change about the former movie theater?

A: To redo it as a cinema would have been unrealistic, because you just don’t have one-screen cinemas anymore. Technologically we have the ability to turn it into anything we want now — a music venue, theater, a private event venue, and we can show movies as well.

Q: And what did you keep the same?

A: (The original look) was part of the allure. To have changed the façade at all would have been a shame. I think they got it right in 1947.

Q: What do you want to add to Canal Street and the downtown entertainment scene with the Joy?

A: The goal is to create an icon for the city of New Orleans. Being small, (capacity is about 800-1,000) we’re acoustically and technically on top of everything. So we’re using the size to our advantage. There’s not a bad seat in the house.